The City of Pittsburgh has a number of Boards, Authorities and Commissions with which citizen participation is vital. The Mayor and the City of Pittsburgh seek diversity and balance in making appointments to boards, authorities and commissions, and adhere to a policy of making appointment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, place of birth, citizenship, age, or non-job related disability.

Groups are described below with Summaries. Summaries are linked to Group Pages, where information about each group is listed in full. Group Pages link to other resources for each group - web resources, meeting schedules, agendas and minutes, etc.

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Summaries

The Authority's authorized powers include among others, the collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of sewage in Allegheny County, and certain adjacent areas and the collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of such industrial wastes as shall be acceptable to the Authority within said territory.

The Authority's Articles of Incorporation provide that the Board of the Authority (the 'Board') shall consist of seven members serving staggered five year terms.'Pursuant to these Articles, three members of the Board are appointed by Allegheny County, three are appointed by the City of Pittsburgh and one is jointly appointed by Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh.

The mission of the District is to support and finance regional assets in the areas of libraries, parks and recreation, cultural, sports and civic facilities and programs. In addition to providing grants from half of the proceeds of the Allegheny County Sales and Use Tax, the District works with citizen boards and government officials monitoring the assets for effective operation and development.

The Art Commission works to improve the aesthetic quality of the City's public spaces. The Art Commission is comprised of seven members appointed by the Mayor and representing various disciplines in the arts.

The Board of Appeals acts on variances requested from the Uniform Construction Code adopted by the City of Pittsburgh. Under the auspices of the Department of Public Safety, the members of this board are appointed by the Mayor.

The City-County Task Force on Disabilities is a 13-member panel of advocates, service providers, and consumers appointed by the Mayor and County Executive who advise the City and County on issues that affect people with disabilities in the region.

Six of the members are appointed by the Mayor; six are appointed by the County Executive, and one member is elected and appointed by the members of the Task Force.

The City Planning Commission is a nine-member panel appointed by the Mayor for six-year staggered terms. The Commission is charged with guiding land use and development in the City. The Planning Commission makes recommendations to City Council concerning the Zoning Ordinance and zoning map, reviews major development proposals and prepares redevelopment plans.

The Civil Service System was established to insure the maintenance of a merit personnel system to recruit, employ, promote, and retain qualified persons for employment with the City of Pittsburgh. It is the mission of the Civil Service Commission to administer and preserve the merit system while being responsive to the principles of equal opportunity employment and sound labor-management relations.

The Commission on City Archives was created to facilitate the efforts of City of Pittsburgh departments to set procedures for the preservation of City records. The purpose of the Commission is to establish and oversee the implementation of policies related to the preservation of City records that have informational value to the public for current operational purposes as well as historical analysis.

The Commission on Human Relations studies and investigates complaints of alleged discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and civil rights practices involving City employees and any conditions having an adverse effect on intergroup relations in the city.

In 1984 the Pennsylvania Legislature passed Act 205, The Municipal Pension Plan Funding Standard and Recovery Act. The purpose of this Act was to stop the increase in unfunded liabilities of municipal pension plans and to establish a program to make these plans solvent.

The Comprehensive Board was forced to pool the assets of police, fire, and municipal plans in order to achieve administrative savings and greater investment earnings. This Board consists of seven members.

The Disruptive Property Appeal Board is a five member panel appointed by the Mayor. The Board will meet once a month to hear appeals from the decision of the Public Safety Director in all disruptive property matters.

The Equal Opportunity Review Commission (EORC) reviews and approves all applicable construction contracts for compliance with Chapter 161 of the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, as well as the contractor's compliance with City of Pittsburgh's policies regarding minority and women business enterprise opportunities. It also develops policies regarding employment opportunities for minorities and women in contracting with the City of Pittsburgh and its Authorities.

The Equipment Leasing Authority (ELA) was incorporated in 1980 to serve as a financing mechanism enabling the City of Pittsburgh to make major equipment purchases, primarily vehicles. The ELA would issue bonds, buy the vehicles, hold title to those vehicles, and lease them to the City. The lease payments amortized the bonds.

The last ELA bonds were retired in 1997. Since then the ELA has continued its role as the City's central player in Fleet aquisition, maintenance, repair, and replacement. The current ELA Board includes the City's Capital Budget Manager, the Mayor's Chief Operations Officer, City Council's Budget Director, one member of City Council, and one individual from Public Safety.

Public service is a public trust. The City's Ethics Code has been enacted to preserve the trust placed in the public servants of the City, to promote public confidence in government, to protect the integrity of government decision making, and to enhance government efficiency. The Ethics Hearing Board is composed of nine members holding reputations of personal integrity and honesty, tasked with enforcement and education regarding the Ethics Code.

The Historic Review Commission protects and maintains historically and architecturally significant buildings and neighborhoods in the City. The HRC is comprised of seven members appointed by the Mayor which must include an architect, a preservationist, a Realtor, a building inspector, and a planner.

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh is a municipal corporation charged with providing decent, affordable housing for low-income persons. The Authority is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors which establishes goals, approves policy and budgets, and provides general direction to the HACP Executive Staff.

The Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh (the "Parking Authority") currently operates ten parking garages, two attended surface parking lots, and thirty-seven off-street metered parking lots. Pursuant to a cooperative agreement with the City, the Parking Authority collects and receives a portion of on-street parking meter charges and ticket revenue.

The Parking Authority has a five-member board; each member is appointed by the Mayor.

PWSA provides quality water and quality services to approximately 83,000 customers throughout the City of Pittsburgh daily. The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority was created in 1984. At the time, the primary function of PWSA was to oversee a $200,000,000 capital improvement program designed to refurbish the infrastructure of the entire water system, including the water treatment plant and distribution system. In 1995, the City of Pittsburgh's Water Department became a part of The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. At that time, the Authority became responsible for producing and supplying the water for City of Pittsburgh residents and to maintain and operate the water infrastructure. In 1999, PWSA became responsible for operating and maintaining the entire City sewer system.

The Propel Pittsburgh Commission is dedicated to meeting the concerns and needs of the City of Pittsburgh's young adults and young professionals. Composed entirely of members aged 20-34, the objective of the Commission is to encourage greater participation in government, to identify or create programmatic or policy opportunities in issues affecting young adults and young professionals in Pittsburgh, and to inform various elected and appointed officials representing young people about issues specific to them. The Propel Pittsburgh Commission will help to give the young adults and young professionals of Pittsburgh a major role in moving the City of Pittsburgh forward.

The Shade Tree Commission is a non-profit organization, linked to the Mayor's Office, with the task of restoring and maintaining the city's tree population, in recognition of the value of Pittsburgh's urban trees as one of our city's greatest assets. To that end the commission is dedicated to providing policy makers, City Departments, and the general public with accurate and objective information on public policy issues affecting the urban forest.

The Commission strives to expand projects based on intergovernmental and community partnerships as well as sound forestry practices. The Shade Tree Commission also directs the expenditure of funds from the Shade Tree Trust Fund to advance urban forestry initiatives.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, or SPC, is the region’s forum for collaboration, planning, and public decision-making. As the official Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the 10-county region, including the City of Pittsburgh and the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland, SPC is responsible for planning and prioritizing the use of all state and federal transportation funds allocated to the region. The Commission has the authority and responsibility to make decisions affecting the 10-county region.

As the Local Development District (LDD) and Economic Development District (EDD) for southwestern Pennsylvania (as designated by the
U. S. Appalachian Regional Commission and the U. S. Department
of Commerce), SPC establishes regional economic development priorities and provides a wide range of public services to the region. SPC combines management of community assistance, financial assistance, export and government procurement assistance, and special enterprise development activities with delivery of other state and federal programs to help our region become increasingly competitive in national and global markets.

The Commission develops plans and programs for public investments; fulfills federal and state requirements for transportation, economic development, and local government assistance programs; and operates with public involvement and trust.

The SEA is the successor to the Public Auditorium Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. The name was changed in November 1999 as the SEA began working with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the City of Pittsburgh, and Allegheny County to implement the Regional Destination Financing Plan (RDFP). The RDFP supported the construction of PNC Park, Heinz Field, and the expansion of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, as well as the infrastructure improvements associated with these projects.

SEA-owned facilities include Consol Energy Arena, PNC Park, Heinz Field, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, North Shore Riverfront Park, and the North Shore Parking Garage. The SEA consists of seven members, three of whom are appointed by the City and three by the County. The seventh member is appointed by the City and County jointly.

The Stadium Authority owned Three Rivers Stadium and continues to own the land on which it sat. This land is located between Heinz Field and PNC Park. The Stadium Authority is responsible for the development of that land from surface parking to a mixed use urban development. The Stadium Authority has a five member board; each member is appointed by the Mayor.

The URA administers Federal and Commonwealth grants designed to provide a broad range of urban renewal and maintenance programs within the City. The Authority also coordinates efforts to improve the economic vitality, the housing stock, and overall living conditions within the City. The URA has a five-member board; each member is appointed by the Mayor.

The Board meets weekly to hear appeals to consider granting variances or special exceptions to the Zoning Ordinance. The Board of Adjustment is a three member panel appointed by the Mayor. One of the appointees must be a lawyer.